19] 
BuTterFLY WEED (Asclepias tuberosa), Pleurisy root, N.O. 
Asclepias 1s a perennial plant, common and abundant in sandy 
soil in the eastern and central United States. The root was one 
of the favorite remedies of the North American Indians, being 
used as an expectorant, diaphoretic, and emetic. Thoroughly 
cooked it was also used as a food. It is now chiefly used as a 
ciaphoretic and diuretic. The root, however, contains two gluco- 
sides,—asclepiadin, an emetic; and asclepin, a mild sedative de- 
rived from asclepiadin. Milkweed floss is used in life-belts and 
floats to replace the now non-procurable kapok which was formerly 
imported from the Far Kast in amounts of 10,000 tons per annum. 
The U. S. government has taken every pound that can be sup- 
plied. Butterfly Weed floss is so similar to kapok that, in the 
New York area, several dealers have been fined for substitution. 
Buttrernut Bark (Juglans cinerea) N.O. The butternut is a 
good-sized tree of eastern and central North America. The inner 
bark of the root was used medicinally by the aborigines as a mild 
cathartic. Owing to its tannic content it was used in the treat- 
ment of dysentery and diarrhea by the soldiers during the Civil 
War. The kernel of the nut is oily, pleasantly flavored, and edible. 
he calamus 
CaLamMus (Acorus Calamus), Sweet flag, N.F. 7 
of the scriptures is probably identical with this article, the market 
form of which is the peeled, dried rhizome freed from roots. A 
marsh plant probably originating in India and Central Asia, it has 
spread to all parts of the globe. Because of its volatile oil it has 
a limited use in medicine as a carminative in colic and stomach 
disorders. 
CARAWAY (Carum carvi) U.S.P. The caraway plant is a low 
biennial herb, native of western Asia and Europe and now widely 
cultivated. The use of this plant as a spice and condiment extends 
back to the XIT Century, yet it was among the last of the umbel- 
The volatile 
liferous fruits to be introduced into western Europe. 
oil is responsible for its carminative and stimulant properties. 
CARDAMON, Rounpd (Amomuin Cardamomum) N.O. A tall 
potas 
perennial herb growing in the East Indies and in Siam. The seeds 
resemble those of Malabar cardamon (Elettaria Cardamomumne), 
but with a more strongly aromatic, camphoraceous taste. They 
